The Socceroos worked hard but weren’t at their best in a 2-0 win over Lebanon on Thursday night.
While maiden international goals for defender Kye Rowles and Keanu Baccus delivered another win on the road to the 2026 World Cup, it was a performance described as ‘sloppy’ by multiple players and coach Graham Arnold.
Here’s how we rated everyone in the victory.
‘We can do better’: Socceroos claim ‘sloppy’ win despite worrying double injury blow
DEFENCE
Mathew Ryan (C): 7
It seemed like it’d be a quiet night for the veteran gloveman, but he was called into action a few times in the second half and produced some sharp saves – the first to deny a vicious shot from a tight angle, and the second to keep out a free kick in the final seconds of stoppage time. He scrambled off his line well to clear the ball once or twice, and deserved another clean sheet.
Kye Rowles: 8
With Aziz Behich injured – the veteran who started every game of the Asian Cup in January – Rowles slid from his usual centre-back role to the left flank.
He has done it before, against Mexico and England in friendlies last year, and proved he was a dependable back-up in that position.
This time around was a similar story.
Rowles was beaten a couple of times by opposition wingers early on, but held his head high and won the majority of the battles from there.
And he put an exclamation mark on his performance by chiming in with a maiden international goal in the second half, thundering home a half-volley.
Speaking about the goal, an emotional Rowles told Channel 10: “Words can’t really describe it to be honest.”
“Lucky it happened pretty quick, I didn’t have time to think about it,” he joked.
He was named man of the match, and was all class in his post-match interview when asked about playing out of his usual position.
He said: “I don’t mind at all. As long as I’m out there, I’m happy to do whatever the job is the team needs me to do.”
Harry Souttar: 7
His long-range passing was absolutely exceptional, with diagonal raking balls to the wingers stretching the Lebanon defence. He showed his trademark set piece threat by getting his head to an early corner and a knee to another, though it was his usual centre-back partner that found the scoresheet. He was guilty of a couple of sloppy errors – like every teammate – but it was a solid performance despite his lack of club minutes at the moment.
Cameron Burgess: 7
In just his seventh appearance for the Socceroos, Burgess’s reputation continues to grow by the minute. He made a number of excellent interceptions and tackles, but was partially at fault when Lebanon poached the ball and hit the post late in the game. Other than that, it was a very fine showing.
Nathaniel Atkinson: 5.5
“It has been a position that’s been up for grabs,” former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire said before the game on Channel 10.
But Atkinson didn’t quite do enough to lock down the right-back role based on tonight’s performance, struggling to link up with his wingers down the right flank and get into dangerous positions.
It wasn’t a poor performance by any means, but there was certainly room for improvement.
MIDFIELD
Keanu Baccus: 6
Baccus started slowly, with a couple of passes gifted to the opposition in the first five minutes – only for the midfielder to score his first Socceroos goal with a superb curling effort from out wide. It may have been a mis-hit cross, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt!
He told Channel 10: “I’ll take it. I’ll take it regardless!”
And when coach Graham Arnold was asked if Baccus intended it as a shot, he joked: “He said he did and I believe him.”
Making the goal even more special for the 25-year-old is that it came in front of his family at Parammatta’s Commbank Stadium – the home ground for the Western Sydney Wanderers, who he represented over 100 times before signing for Scottish side St Mirren in 2022.
After the goal, it was an up-and-down performance. There were moments of sloppiness where he gave up possession too easily, before a second-half yellow card that means he’ll miss Tuesday’s match.
But it was a typical hardworking, hard-tackling shift.
Jackson Irvine: 6.5
The second-most capped player in the squad (behind Ryan), his leadership was on full display in a bustling performance. He was everywhere in the first half-hour and his industriousness summed up the Socceroos’ energetic start. He was clearly given a licence to push forward and made a number of probing runs and passes, but the final touch or pass never quite seemed to materialise.
ATTACK
Riley McGree: N/A
The Middlesbrough attacker managed just 15 minutes before being forced off the field with injury, seemingly a foot issue. After missing nearly three months with injury late last year, it’s a devastating blow to the winger who has impressed in England’s second tier this season.
Connor Metcalfe: 7
Few players have risen through the Socceroos ranks as strongly as Metcalfe in the last 18 months, and tonight was another fine performance.
Since narrowly missing out on the World Cup squad, Connor Metcalfe has gone on to become one of the first names on the Socceroos’ team sheet. He came off the bench in two of the first three matches after the World Cup – but since then, he’s started in 10 of the last 12 matches (including tonight).
He’s reaping the rewards of playing regularly in Germany’s physical second division, where he’s learning from club captain and Socceroos midfield teammate Jackson Irvine.
Irvine was full of praise for his young countryman, this week stating: “He’s a totally different player to the one that arrived in St Pauli a year and a half ago.”
“Physically, mentally, tactically, everything; he’s grown so much.”
“We saw at the Asian Cup what a big part of this group he’s become and how versatile he can be.”
He was again versatile tonight, starting on the right flank but given freedom to roam centrally, before shifting to the left when Ajdin Hrustic came on late in the first half.
Adam Taggart: 6
Taggart was very busy in the first half-hour – throwing his body around and giving away a number of fouls as he battled hard with the defenders. He selflessly made runs into the channels but his touch in the penalty area twice let him down as he searched for a first goal since 2019. He was caught off-side a handful of times, though one was brutally unlucky – when he was through on goal with a golden chance.
Kusini Yengi: 4
Worked hard but didn’t have the kind of impact he would have hoped for. The connection between him and Taggart up front is clearly brand new, so it’s understandable that it didn’t always click. Yengi was aggressive with the ball at his feet and took defenders on, but couldn’t quite make things happen. There were positive moments, with some good hold-up play, but he’ll look forward to Canberra and the chance to score a maiden goal there.
SUBSTITUTES
Jordy Bos: N/A
There were plenty of questions over Graham Arnold’s decision to leave the 21-year-old out of his starting line-up, but McGree’s early injury meant Bos was thrown into the fray after just a quarter of an hour. Arnold, for what it’s worth, explained the omission by saying the talented flyer had flown into camp late and arrived only on Wednesday at 2am.
Bos was his typically exuberant self in a bright start, only to suffer a left knee injury in the first half, forcing the Socceroos into a second substitution before the break.
Ajdin Hrustic: 7.5
It was a hugely impressive return to the international fold for Hrustic after 18 months of pain at club level. Hrustic played just 45 minutes in the green and gold in 2023, but a January transfer has reignited his career – and the Socceroos look set to be the big winners.
His range of passing was excellent, while his creativity and unpredictable flair – what Arnold called ‘X-Factor’ before the game – was a reminder of what the Socceroos were lacking at the Asian Cup. It didn’t always come off – a neat backheel for example, or a through ball where the strikers didn’t time their run to beat the off-side trap – but there were plenty of promising signs.
Mitch Duke: 4
Had a negligible impact after coming on, though he pushed hard and presented a target up front.
John Iredale: 4.5
Fast and powerful, Iredale came off the bench for his debut and was instantly in the thick of the action, showing off his acceleration and nearly winning a corner in his first involvement in the game. Didn’t influence proceedings too frequently from there, but ran nice channels and pressed well from the front.
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